Column: Six SEC stars will chase Heisman Trophy in 2016
Alabama running back Derrick Henry won the Heisman Trophy for his effort this season, as he has recorded 339 carries for 1,986 yards and 23 touchdowns for a Crimson Tide program on its way to the College Football Playoff once again.
Henry is the fifth winner from the SEC in the past nine years, joining Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel (2012), Auburn quarterback Cam Newton (2010), Alabama running back Mark Ingram (2009) and Florida quarterback Tim Tebow (2007). Prior to this impressive run, the best conference in America hadn’t claimed a Heisman since Florida quarterback Danny Wuerffel in 1996.
The SEC will have no shortage of candidates next season, as the league is never short on talent and gets as much television exposure as ever, but here are half a dozen who seem to have a legitimate shot at taking home the bronze.
The gunslinger
Ole Miss quarterback Chad Kelly
The skinny: A rising senior from Buffalo (N.Y.) St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute, Kelly completed 65.2 percent of his passes with 27 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, plus he added 427 yards and 10 TDs as a rusher.
Heisman scenario: Kelly will have a chance to establish himself as the front-runner in September, as Ole Miss opens with Florida State in Orlando and then hosts Alabama two weeks later in Oxford. If he pulls an upset or two, ups his touchdown passes to 30-plus and drops his INTs into the single digits, then he’ll have an opportunity to be considered the premier passer in the country.
Potential roadblock: Most obvious, he has to return to school. He could declare for the draft. Beyond that, quarterbacks don’t usually win the Heisman if they’ve lost a handful of games. The Rebels have a tough September and October on the horizon. The likely loss of Laquon Treadwell to the NFL takes away Kelly’s best receiver, too.
The clone
Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs
The skinny: A rising senior from Alpharetta (Ga.) High School, Dobbs completed 59.9 percent of his passes with 15 touchdowns and 5 interceptions, plus he added 623 yards and 9 TDs as a rusher.
Heisman scenario: Tennessee is coming off an 8-4 campaign that included a five-game winning streak to close out the schedule, so there is reason to believe that Dobbs can direct a true breakthrough season in 2016. If Dobbs puts together a Tim Tebow-like performance, throwing for 20-plus touchdowns and running for 20 more, the Volunteers are a threat to unseat Florida in the SEC East.
Potential roadblock: The schedule is weak after an Oct. 22 bye, as the Vols finish with South Carolina, Tennessee Tech, Kentucky, Missouri and Vanderbilt, and Dobbs has a long way to go before he’s truly dangerous throwing the ball.
The jitterbug
Texas A&M quarterback Kyler Murray
The skinny: A rising sophomore from Allen (Tex.) High School, Murray completed 59.5 percent of his passes with 5 touchdowns and 7 interceptions, plus he added 335 yards and 1 TD as a rusher.
Heisman scenario: Even after getting benched down the stretch because he turned the football over too frequently, the job is clearly Murray’s since fellow former five-star recruit Kyle Allen has announced he’s transferring. Murray has the ability to be Johnny Football 2.0 in coach Kevin Sumlin’s offense, at least from a numbers perspective, so 40-plus total touchdowns aren’t unreasonable.
Potential roadblock: Nothing will make a coach sour on a signal caller faster than turnovers, not to mention the fact that the Aggies simply haven’t been as explosive offensively and aren’t catching SEC defenses by surprise anymore.
The favorite
LSU running back Leonard Fournette
The skinny: A rising junior from New Orleans (La.) St. Augustine High School, Fournette ran 271 times for 1,741 yards and 18 touchdowns, plus he caught 18 passes for 209 yards as a receiver.
Heisman scenario: Fournette went from front-runner to forgotten-about once he lost his head-to-head battle with Henry this past season, so all he has to do is repeat the performace he had for the first half of 2015 and not slow down. Henry just broke Herschel Walker’s SEC rushing record, but Fournette arguably has a higher upside and could perhaps become the conference’s first 2,000-yard back.
Potential roadblock: The odds-on favorite coming into a season rarely goes on to actually win the Heisman, so it’s possible we’ve already seen the best of Fournette in Baton Rouge and voters will move on to the next big thing.
The resurrection
Georgia running back Nick Chubb
The skinny: A rising junior from Cedartown (Ga.) High School, Chubb ran 92 times for 747 yards and 7 touchdowns, plus he caught 4 passes for 32 yards and 1 TD as a receiver.
Heisman scenario: Chubb was in the conversation for the Heisman in 2015 before a devastating knee injury Oct. 10 at Tennessee sidelined him for the season, so obviously his biggest hurdle in 2016 will be getting to 100 percent from a health perspective. But if he does and proves to be every bit as effective as he was before, the comeback nature of his story will certainly get the attention of voters.
Potential roadblock: Even with more and more players coming back better than ever from injuries that used to be career-threatening a generation ago, Chubb will be sharing the load with Sony Michel and might not get a chance to put up bronze-worthy numbers.
The playmaker
Texas A&M wide receiver Christian Kirk
The skinny: A rising sophomore from Scottsdale (Ariz.) Saguaro High School, Kirk caught 70 passes for 925 yards and 6 touchdowns, plus he added 689 yards and 2 TDs as a kick and punt returner.
Heisman scenario: A receiver hasn’t won the Heisman since Michigan’s Desmond Howard in 1991, when he was prolific as a pass catcher and nothing short of devastating on special teams. That’s the formula for Kirk, who would have to catch 100-plus balls for 1,500-plus yards and a ton of touchdowns in the passing game and then double as the most electrifying return man in the nation.
Potential roadblock: The award has been reserved for quarterbacks and running backs since Michigan cornerback Charles Woodson was a Swiss Army knife in 1997, and it remains to be seen if Murray can get the ball to Kirk consistently through the air.